Marriage at Thirty - Chapter 2

So, she still remembered.

“You actually still remember?” Fu Linling was surprised.

The two had only been classmates for one year, and their individual interactions were few and far between. They never played together, and they hadn’t been in touch for so many years. Not recognizing each other would have been normal, so Fu Linling had mentally prepared for it.

“I probably have a slight impression. Your name is quite unique. I think I even complimented your desk-mate about how pretty your name was back then,” Lin Ran replied.

Fu Linling lowered her eyes, concealing the smile spreading across them.

“Also, I remember you used to be the girl in Class Six who had the best grades, and was the tallest and the most—”

“The heaviest,” Fu Linling finished the sentence for her.

Lin Ran laughed: “But you’re so thin now! You’ve completely changed. I didn’t dare recognize you just now; I thought you must have been someone with the same name.”

So she guessed it was me from the start.

Fu Linling habitually took a sip of water.

Since the classmates had reconnected, it was inevitable to mention former classmates. Lin Ran asked, “Do you still remember Lian Fang?”

“Yes, your desk-mate.”

“She works around here too, and her child is already two. We used to meet up for meals often, but after she got married, the time we spend together has lessened. How about we invite you next time?” Lin Ran suggested.

“Sure.”

“Which other old classmates are you still in touch with?” Lin Ran asked again.

“None,” Fu Linling shook her head and took another drink of water.

Lin Ran recalled that she used to be a reticent person, seemingly always keeping to herself. In the middle-school era, where people loved to form cliques, this made her seem a little solitary.

But tonight, Fu Linling’s demeanor seemed less deliberately avoidant of conversation than before. She had changed somewhat.

“A lot of people lost touch after graduation, but I still really loved my time at Yubei High School. It’s a pity I didn’t graduate with you all and didn’t even get into the big graduation photo,” Lin Ran lamented.

Lin Ran had transferred to Yubei High School during her senior year. That year, her parents’ relationship had deteriorated; they had a small fight every three sentences and a big fight every five. Following that, Zhang Wu discovered a major issue and, not wanting to affect Lin Ran’s studies, temporarily sent her to live with her maternal aunt, where she attended high school as a visiting student. However, her official academic registration remained at her original school, so she returned there to take the college entrance examination (Gaokao).

“How long have you been working here?” Lin Ran asked.

“I went to university here and just stayed,” Fu Linling answered.

Lin Ran nodded. “Let’s exchange WeChat details. Maybe we can get together sometime in the future.”

“Okay.”

The dinner seemed to have transformed from a blind date into a class reunion.

After finishing the meal, Lin Ran checked the time and said, “It’s getting late. I need to rush back to work. Shall we meet again another day?”

“Sure, I’ll walk you out.”

“No need, I’ll just grab a taxi; I’ll be there quickly.” The restaurant wasn’t far from home, so she hadn’t bothered to drive out.

Fu Linling wasn’t good at arguing, so she simply followed Lin Ran to the main entrance to wait for a car together.

A gust of wind blew, causing Lin Ran’s skirt to billow. Fu Linling reached out to cover the back of her skirt but accidentally caught a glimpse of a safety short underneath, which had a corner exposed. It was actually printed with words: “What are you staring at? Buzz off, jerk.”

Fu Linling: “…”

Lin Ran turned back to press her skirt down herself, but the wind had already stopped. A ride-share car arrived just then. She waved her hand: “Bye-bye, see you next time.”

Fu Linling nodded, watching her get into the car: “See you next time…”

Back home, Lin Ran took a shower, changed into comfortable pajamas, and, feeling refreshed, continued drawing.

After rushing the work for several days, she finally submitted the draft.

Finding some free time, she scrolled past Lian Fang’s social media and called her: “Is there a man at home?”

“He’s dead outside.”

“Then I’m coming over now?”

“Come on!”

Lin Ran didn’t feel like driving, so she took a taxi, carrying a box of children’s milk as she knocked on the door.

“You didn’t have to bring anything just to visit,” Lian Fang opened the door, warmly accepting the package. “Why isn’t there any for me?”

“I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

“Your servant complies with your decree!” Lian Fang laughed, leading her into the living room, where a small area was fenced off with a safety rail. Her child was playing with toys inside.

“Baby, look, your Auntie Lin has come to see you again,” Lian Fang said.

Lin Ran sat outside the fence, playing with the child. She looked at Lian Fang’s current appearance. Although not drastically changed, her eyes were definitely more tired. Her figure was a little out of shape after giving birth, and busy with childcare every day, she had no heart for dressing up.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of Fu Linling.

She never expected that after all these years, it would be Fu Linling who most closely resembled her ideal thirty-year-old self.

“Do you still have your high school graduation photo?” Lin Ran asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“I want to see it.”

“You’re not even in it; what do you want to see?” Lian Fang said, but still got up and went to the bedroom to search, returning with a photo album that had an antique feel to it.

Inside were the class photos of all the senior classes.

She flipped to Class Six, pointing at the heads one by one, and Lian Fang also leaned over to reminisce with her about their old classmates.

“Do you remember this boy? The ‘Class Hottie’ back then? He didn’t even make it to his mid-life crisis; he started balding and gaining weight right after college graduation. I had a crush on him once!”

Lin Ran smiled, pointing to a certain girl in the front row: “This girl ran like the wind. She was always the one who rushed to the cafeteria to save seats for us.”

“Exactly! And this one, this one! She loved to gossip; she knew everyone’s relationship status in the class like the back of her hand!”

At that, Lin Ran slowly pointed to the tall girl in the back row. Her face was plump, making her features unclear. Curiously, Lin Ran asked, “What about her? Did she ever have anyone she liked?”

“Who’s this?” Lian Fang looked down at the name below, and after matching it to the person, she was a little blank. “Fu Linling?”

“Mhm.”

“Let me think…” Lian Fang pondered for a long time, shaking her head. “I don’t think I ever heard any rumors about her. I remember she practically didn’t interact with the classmates at all. Who would know anything about her?”

“Did she not interact with the classmates?” Lin Ran asked.

“Wasn’t that the case?”

“No, it wasn’t. It was Wang Zhe and the others who laughed at her for being fat,” Lin Ran said.

“Really? You still remember that? How come I have absolutely no recollection?” Lian Fang asked, puzzled.

“Because I was there at the time.”

“Well, I suppose. But it’s true that not many people were willing to hang out with Fu Linling back then. She was too solitary; if you asked her ten questions, she’d reply with one sentence at most. And being a top student, she always felt unapproachable,” Lian Fang said. Just then, the child suddenly cried, and she quickly went to soothe him.

Lin Ran looked at the blurry face in the photo, which bore no resemblance to the face she had seen a few days ago. In her memory, she could only recall a vague outline.

In the evening, Lian Fang changed clothes and went out to dinner with Lin Ran and the child.

With the child present, it was inconvenient to go too far, so they found a mall downstairs, took a number, and waited in line.

Lin Ran recalled mentioning inviting Fu Linling when discussing the reunion last time and brought it up: “I ran into an old classmate a few days ago.”

“Who?”

“Fu Linling.”

“Fu Linling? The Fu Linling we were talking about this afternoon?!”

“Yes, she also works here now. She’s a dentist.”

“What a coincidence! How did you run into her?”

Lin Ran didn’t want to admit it was a blind date, or Lian Fang would ask for details, and this matter might not even work out. Since realizing she was a classmate, Lin Ran hadn’t thought of it in that way, so she said: “My upstairs neighbor went to get an implant, and she was the one who did it.”

“What a twist of fate!”

“Should we invite her to join us for dinner?”

“No problem! It’s rare to meet an old classmate in the same city.” Lian Fang enjoyed socializing. Her social circle had narrowed significantly after marriage, so she was naturally delighted to see an old friend.

Lin Ran called Fu Linling: “Dr. Fu, Lian Fang and I are about to have dinner together. Are you free? Would you like to join us for a reunion?”

“I just got off work. Will I be late if I come now?”

“We’re still waiting in line, so if you have the time, come over. But don’t rush if you’re busy,” Lin Ran said.

“I have time. Send me the address.”

“Okay.”

Hanging up the phone, Lin Ran sent the address via WeChat. The WeChat name was her full name, and the moments were mostly shared links from the hospital or case introductions, with virtually no personal life information.

“We weren’t very close to her. Won’t it be awkward later?” Lian Fang asked.

“I don’t think so.” They had chatted quite well last time; there didn’t seem to be any awkwardness. Lin Ran said, “She doesn’t talk as little as she used to.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Lian Fang breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of something, she turned abruptly to Lin Ran: “You said you were present when Wang Zhe mocked her. You didn’t join in the laughter, did you?”

“No.”

“That’s a relief then,” Lian Fang relaxed.

When their number was called, they went inside and took their seats. Lin Ran took a picture of the menu and sent it to Fu Linling, asking if there was anything she wanted to order, but there was no immediate reply.

“She’s probably driving. Let’s order two dishes first, and we can add more when she arrives,” Lian Fang suggested.

“Alright.”

After chatting for a while, Fu Linling’s message finally arrived: [I’m at the door.]

Lin Ran told her the table number and said, “She’s here.”

“Where?” Lian Fang turned her head to look, but couldn’t spot anyone until a figure stopped in front of them. She looked up, scanned the person, then tilted her head and continued looking behind them. “Where is she? Why isn’t she here yet?”

Lin Ran stifled a laugh: “She’s already here.”

“Huh?” Lian Fang looked at her in confusion.

Lin Ran pointed to the woman standing next to them.

Lian Fang stared in shock at the tall beauty right in front of her: “Are you kidding me?!”

Seeing her so surprised, Lin Ran felt gratified. It seems my reaction wasn’t so exaggerated then, or that would have been embarrassing.

“Have a seat,” Lin Ran patted the seat next to her.

Fu Linling sat down. Across from her was a child in a high chair, and diagonally across was Lian Fang. Fu Linling nodded: “Hello… long time no see.”

“Are you really Fu Linling?!” Lian Fang covered her mouth in astonishment, then stretched her neck to scrutinize her face, asking in a low voice, “Did you get plastic surgery?”

“No,” Fu Linling shook her head.

“You… your change is too big,” Lian Fang looked at her incredulously. “Are you married?”

Fu Linling glanced at Lin Ran, judging that she hadn’t mentioned the blind date, before answering: “No.”

“Single?”

“Mhm.”

“Single is great, single is great! But I still can’t believe my eyes. Oh my gosh, how did you change so much?!”

Amidst Lian Fang’s astonished conversation, the dishes slowly arrived. Lin Ran listened to their dialogue, chuckling.

This Lian Fang really couldn’t keep her mouth shut. After the initial shock, she started prying into the other’s current situation, asking about her workplace and hours, and joking that she would go to her for dental work in the future.

“What would you like to drink?” Lin Ran asked.

“I’ll have orange juice,” Lian Fang said.

Lin Ran looked at Fu Linling. Fu Linling took a thermal flask from her bag: “I have this.”

Lian Fang suddenly recalled: “Ah, I just remembered, you used to carry a thermal flask around all the time in school.”

“Mhm.”

Lin Ran laughed: “You even remember that?”

“Yes! Because I almost got into a fight with someone back then. You were on your period, so I went to get you hot water, but I ended up arguing with the Cadre Team from the next class. Then Fu Linling silently squeezed past us and filled both of our flasks with water,” Lian Fang recalled. “Honestly, it felt a little like class spirit was burning.”

Lin Ran was amused: “That happened?”

“I don’t remember,” Fu Linling said.

“Well, everyone has different priorities for memory. Lian Fang only remembers arguing with someone,” Lin Ran said.

Lian Fang burst into laughter, but the child cried from wanting food, so she quickly went to feed him.

Lin Ran finished ordering the drinks on her phone. When she looked up, she noticed Fu Linling was tilted to the side, staring at her with an expression that looked like she was hesitant to speak.

“What’s wrong?”

“When you get your period now, does your stomach still hurt a lot?”

“Huh? It hurts, but not as badly as before, I think,” Lin Ran answered subconsciously.

“It still hurts then. I’ll give you a prescription for a traditional Chinese medicine formula later. See if it helps?”

“Okay, thank you.”

Lin Ran nodded blankly, but her mind was reeling—How could she possibly know this trivial detail?!